Met fears on De Menezes 'cover-up'

Monday 17 July 2006 11.46 EDT
First published on Monday 17 July 2006 11.46 EDT

Sir Ian Blair's own officers concluded that the Metropolitan police commissioner's decision to block an independent inquiry into the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes left the force open to accusations of a cover-up, the Guardian has learned.

Their findings are contained in an internal Metropolitan police document that was written hours after Mr de Menezes was killed in Stockwell tube station last July after police mistook him for a terrorist. Just after the shooting, Sir Ian tried to stop the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigating the case, informing the Home Office in writing that he would deny IPCC staff access to the scene at Stockwell.

As events unfolded on July 22 2005 - the day after the failed terrorist attacks on London's transport network - a police team wrote an assessment of the impact of the shooting on community relations.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the Guardian has obtained two documents setting out internal police views.

The Met originally refused to release the documents and has only done so in a heavily edited form with 10 sections erased.

The force's community engagement strategy lists various "primary risks" after the shooting.

One section warns that Sir Ian's actions could lead to accusations of a cover-up from the force's own independent advisory group, "key stakeholders and wider communities".

Mr de Menezes had been shot dead that morning. The Guardian understands that the IPCC will criticise Sir Ian in its report for trying to stop it investigating the death, as it is required to do by law.

Senior Met insiders loyal to Sir Ian fear his commissionership could be threatened if his actions are found to have damaged the force's standing.

The IPCC report provided the evidence on which the CPS based its decisions on prosecutions, which will be announced at noon.

It is understood that a summons will be sought from a magistrates' court later today to launch the prosecution of the Met for health and safety violations. It is thought the Crown Prosecution Service will announce that no individual officer will face criminal charges.

Mr de Menezes's family will be given an hour's notice of the CPS announcement, as will the officers who fired the fatal shots and their bosses.